Style

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

The Great Adventure

I didn't realize how many wonderful things there were to do in this city until I became a mom. Ottawa has a lot of museums - Science and Technology, Museum of Nature, Agriculture Museum, War Museum and the Aviation Museum - but my favourite is the Museum of Civilization. Why? Because of the Children's Museum!

We go to the Children's Museum all the time - there is always so much to do, no matter what the season. And my boys just love it there!

It's non-stop fun for children of all ages. The museum's theme is The Great Adventure, and it truly is a great adventure! Children get to 'travel the world'.

When you enter, children pick up a little passport and go around getting it stamped as they travel to different destinations.

Children can 'cook' in a kitchen, shop at markets from different parts of the world, try on costumes and put on a show, build a wall, paint, visit a 'bookstore', walk through the pyramids of Egypt, and so much more!

Christos's favourite part is the 'Port of Entry' cargo ship, where he can mop, and even be a crane operator, helping to unload new cargo.

This is Christos, when he was around 18 months old, (3 months older then his baby brother is right now!) having fun as captain!

And here he is this past weekend, still having fun as captain! (I love looking at these 2 pictures - I can't believe how little he was, and how big he is now!)

And here is Dimitry, mopping.

There is even a huge outdoor section to the children's museum that is totally worth a visit on a summer day, called Aventure World.

My favourite part of the Children's Museum? This very impressive dollhouse!

The museum also has some great summer camps and offers 'overnight adventures' for groups of 20 or more for children between the ages of 7 and 12. Children can also have their birthday party at the Museum!

We just took our daughter to the Ontario Science Centre, something we do a couple of times a year. If Iain and I didn't have Hannah we would never go to these cool places! We have friends who live in Ottawa, so it's nice to know there are a lot of kid friendly places to visit.

I wish we had a children' museum closer to us. It's amazing how fast they grow up. You always hear other people talking about it but you can't really appreciate how fast it goes until you have kids of your own.

Hey! Thanks for stoping by my blog.Good to see a new face! You have the cutest little boys. And they look just like their dad. I know what that is like. My two children look just like their dad too with his blond hair and blue eyes! I am the odd ball with my dark hair, eyes, and complextion. Hope to hear from you again.

You forgot to mention that the Children's Museum is FREE on Thursdays after 4pm... ie. TODAY. Thanks for the reminder. Maybe I'll pack a picnic supper, pick my husband up after work and head over for a few hours.

(Although it'll be a "picnic" cause of all this rain. I guess the outdoor area will have to wait til next time.)

Just to let you know that the outdoor Adventure World has been closed down due to budgetary reasons. Bummer. Also the entire museum will be free all day on May 18th (International Museum Day). There are some fantastic programs planned for the day, and you will be able to see the new exhibit Mythic Beast, which kids will absolutely go crazy for.